This Knowledge Note is an outcome of a practitioners’ workshop held at the German Federal Foreign Office in Berlin on 26/27 February 2018. Among its 29 participants were 19 practitioners from West and southern Africa, United Nations organizations, European Union institutions and EU member states... more
On 19 October 2017, BICC (Bonn International Center for Conversion) hosted its annual International Academic Conference entitled “‘Dirty Peace?’ The Political Economy of Peacebuilding” in Bonn. BICC Knowledge Note 1\2018, edited by Elvan Isikozlu and Susanne Heinke documents the conference... more
On 3 November 2016, BICC hosted its annual International Academic Conference, focussing this year on the pressing global issue of internal displacement and refugee movements. Almost 65 million people are currently displaced worldwide, most of whom have been displaced for more than five years.... more
On 19 May 2016, BICC hosted the one-day international expert workshop “Former military sites in urban space—Conversion for the city of the future?” in Bonn. BICC Knowledge Note 1\2017 documents the results. The workshop hoped to find answers to the question which impulses the conversion of former... more
This Knowledge Note provides an insight into current realities, behaviour and practices in arms and ammunition storage sites in north-western DR Congo. Tailored recommendations for strengthening ammunition and weapons safety by improving physical security measures and renovating infrastructural... more
On 28 October 2015, BICC hosted its annual international conference entitled “Networks of Organised Violence”. The topic of the conference was chosen because of a perceived shift from the primacy of the state to the importance of networks in perpetrating organised violence. Its aim was to view... more
On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) hosted a two-day international academic conference on “Facing Organised Violence: Research Agendas and Conversion Potentials” from 27 to 28 October 2014 in Bonn. The aim of the conference was to approach... more
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of BICC on 10 April 2014, the Center organised the expert workshop “Conversion Studies put to the test—Base conversion in Germany and Western Europe”. BICC Knowledge Note 1/2015 documents the contributions to and discussions of the workshop (in German). 25... more
BICC brief 49 “Smart Technology in SALW Control–Civilian Protection, the UN-PoA, and Transfer Control (SmartCon)”, edited by Michael Ashkenazi, Elvan Isikozlu and Marc Kösling, contains the majority of papers presented at the SmartCon 2013 in Berlin, sponsored by the German Federal Foreign Office... more
This brief aims to contribute to the study of the relationship between government, oil corporations, and local communities in South Sudan. Its area of study are the oil fields of Blocks 3 and 7 in Melut and Maban Counties, Upper Nile State, the largest oil producing area in the country,... more
BICC brief 47 is dedicated to the issue of Man-portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS). The authors Dr. Michael Ashkenazi, Princess Amuzu, Jan Grebe, Christof Kögler and Marc Kösling provide a comprehensive survey of all aspects of MANPADS as a challenge to managing civilian security. The... more
Researchers from SÜDWIND and BICC traveled to gold mines in the DR Congo and Peru in the framework of a joint project to find out which measures can help small-scale and artisanal miners to secure their livelihood in regions of conflict and to improve social and ecological mining... more
Commercial security affects a number of development-related factors, such as the capacity of states to govern, overall feelings of public safety, economic growth and social welfare.Findings from field research in Timor-Leste, Liberia and Peru indicate that the relation between commercial security... more
On behalf of the Stiftung Umwelt und Entwicklung Nordrhein-Westfalen (SUE), the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), BICC carried out a study on „Migration—Integration—Development. African migrant organizations in North... more
BICC brief 43 “Towards a Typology of wartime rape” aims at developing a typology of wartime rape as a first step toward understanding the different consequences of this form of violence in war. This typology is based on the examination of wartime rape in Bosnia and Herzegovina and El Salvador as... more
BICC brief 42 "Diasporas and Peace: A Comparative Assessment of Somali and Ethiopian communities in Europe" is a DIASPEACE working paper.DIASPEACE (Diasporas for Peace: Patterns, Trends and Potential of Long-distance Diaspora Involvement in Conflict Settings) is a three-year research... more
The trade and exploitation of natural resources such as cocoa, gold, petroleum and diamonds contributed to the conflict in Côte d’Ivoire and still obstruct the peace process in the country. This is one of the conclusions of BICC brief 40, entitled: “Natural Resources in Côte d’Ivoire: Fostering... more
BICC brief 41 analyzes the effects of oil production on conflict dynamics in Chad. The authors, Lena Guesnet and Claudia Frank conclude in the study that the goal of the project supported by the World Bank, to foster development in the Central African country has failed miserably.The Chad-Cameroon... more
BICC brief 39 is a documentation of the results of the international conference "Migration and Displacement in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Security – Migration Nexus II" (13-14 February 2009, Bonn). The event was supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)... more
BICC brief 38 documents the international conference “Digging for Peace: Private Companies and Emerging Economies in Zones of Conflict” which took place from 21 to 22 November 2008 in Bonn. About 120 participants, amongst them representatives of research institutes, private companies, civil society... more
BICC brief 37 is based on the proceedings of the Seminar ‘Environment and Conflict—Evaluating and strengthening the means of interdisciplinary cooperation’, which took place in Bonn from the 18–20 September 2007. This Seminar was organized by BICC in cooperation with GMOSS (Global Monitoring for... more
BICC brief 35 presents the findings of the BICC Project “Analysis of the implementation of DD&R (Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration) in Aceh Province, Indonesia”, deriving from interviews conducted with a variety of actors in Aceh in November 2006, and the analysis of secondary... more
BICC brief 36 documents the papers and speeches presented at the conference “The Security-Migration Nexus: Challenges and Opportunities of African Migration to EU Countries” which was held at Bonn, 22–23 February 2008. The event was commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic... more
Nowadays water security is an essential component both of the national security of individual states and of international security, because all dimensions of an extended security concept (food security, economic security, environmental security, human security at large) are dependent on water... more
BICC brief 34 deals with the military reform and the defense conversion process in Albania, Macedonia and Croatia. Among the issues covered are the adoption and implementation of strategic-doctrinal documents, and the modernization and downsizing of armed forces, including the reintegration... more
In the context of the discourse on ‘new wars’, in which economic motives and agendas are of major importance, increasing attention is being focused on the role of the private business sector in contemporary violent conflicts and wars. Private business can contribute both to the outbreak of violent... more
BICC brief 31, issued jointly by the Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of the Armed Forces (DCAF) and the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC), is the product of a series of activities conducted by these organizations on “Demobilization and Reintegration in the Western... more
BICC brief 30 documents the international conference “Promoting Security: But How and For Whom?” which took place on from 1 to 2 April 2004 in Bonn and was dedicated to BICC’s 10th anniversary.The conference discussed six topics, each of which was to be deliberated in its own discussion... more
The ‘Tools for Arms’ approach in Mozambique is a case in point and a spearheading example: For the very first time, civil society is taking responsibility for the population’s disarmament at a national level, thereby making an essential contribution towards peace and reconciliation.BICC brief 29... more
BICC brief 27 summarizes the insights gained and lessons learned from the downsizing of the armed forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in the wake of the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) of December 1995.The three major reintegration projects covered by this report (two World Bank projects and one run... more
BICC brief 28 documents the e-conference “Afghanistan: Assessing the Progress of Security Sector Reform, One Year After the Geneva Conference”, which took place from 4 to 11 June 2003. About 100 participants, amongst them representatives of international organizations, research institutes and civil... more
BICC brief 26 concerns Eastern Europe’s management of reintegration of military servicemen into civilian life. It looks particularly at the experiences gathered in Ukraine, Russia, Poland and Hungary after the demise of socialism. The prime goal is to generalize experiences, identify shortcomings... more
BICC brief 25 centers around reforms of the military forces in Eastern Europe following the demise of socialism. It particularly highlights experiences gained in their downsizing and restructuring. The authors identify challenges of and work out causes for national reform deadlocks, and draw... more
BICC brief 24 “Gender Perspectives on Small Arms and Light Weapons: Regional and International Concerns” is based on a workshop in Jinja, Uganda, from 14 to 17 April 2002. The publication addresses problems related to the easy availability of small arms from a gender-specific angle. The workshop... more
BICC brief 22 “Burying the Hatchet-The Decommissioning of Paramilitary Arms in Northern Ireland” reflects the research of a joint project of BICC and INCORE. The project aims to monitor the implementation of the Belfast Agreement and to analyse the governing provisions of the peace accord with... more
BICC brief 23 “Small Arms in the Horn of Africa: Challenges, Issues and Perspectives” is about the SALIGAD Project (Small Arms and Light Weapons: Assessing Issues and Developing Capacity for Peace in the Horn of Africa.) The project’s basic aim was to promote and facilitate dialogue, and to ... more
BICC brief 21 “Small States—Big Worries. Choice and Purpose in the Security Policies of the Baltic States” looks into factors that have determined the Baltic security policy since independence in 1991.The development of security concepts and the buildup of armies in the Baltic can be divided into... more
BICC brief 19 “Assisting Conversion and Company Restructuring in Modova. A Tacis-funded Project” presents a case study of the TACIS (Technical Assistance for the Commonwealth of Independent States) project, which was carried out by a team of experts and headed by members of the Bonn International... more
BICC brief 20 “Wag the Dog” is about the creation of the Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in the 1990s as well as the dissolution of the guerilla force after the establishment of a protectorate under the aegis of the United Nations and NATO in Summer 1999.More than two years later, this is... more
BICC brief 18 “Conversion in South Africa in the 1990s” describes and analyses South Africa’s record on conversion in the last decade. The brief focuses primarily on the years since the advent of democracy in South Africa in April 1994 and examines the remaining challenges. more
BICC brief 17 “Russia’s Defense Industry at the Turn of the Century” shows that recovery in the defense sector after the crisis of 1998 was mainly the result of import substitution by middle-sized, privatized entities which sold significant parts of their production in barter transactions and which... more
The six papers published in BICC brief 16 “Practical Disarmament” look specifically at weapons in conflict situations. They were originally presented at an international BICC conference, entitled “The Contribution of Disarmament and Conversion to Conflict Prevention and its Relevance for... more
Five papers are published in BICC brief 15 “Security Sector Reform”, originally presented at an international BICC conference entitled “The Contribution of Disarmament and Conversion to Conflict Prevention and its Relevance for Development Cooperation”. more
The Hungarian defense industry has undergone a radical transformation since the end of the 1980s. From 1994 the first signs of consolidation appeared. The most important sectoral transformation took place in three dimensions: ownership changes, profile changes and organizational changes. more
In BICC brief 13 “Integrated job marked projects on conversion sites: Evaluation of select examples from various German federal states” ca. 90 base re-use projects in Germany were identified where job creation programs are in place. Most of the cases are located in the new federal states due to... more
BICC brief 12 “The UNTAES Experience: Weapons Buy-back in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (Croatia)” analyses the weapons buyback program by the United Nations Transitional Administration in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) started in 1996 and financed by the... more
BICC brief 11 „Reasonable Measures:Addressing the Excessive Accumulation and Unlawful Use of Small Arms” is directed to interested governments and organizations, acting both unilaterally and collectively to address the issue, as well as those states directly affected by excessive accumulation and... more
BICC brief 10 “Peaceful Fallout:The Conversion of China's Military–Nuclear Complex to Civilian Use” comes to the conclusion that conversion of China’s military–nuclear complex to civilian use is not by any means irreversible, nor does it imply a downgrading of military–nuclear programs. As a matter... more
Since 1990, the world’s largest defense industry has shrunk by one-third. BICC brief 9 “US Conversion after the Cold War, 1990–1997. Lessons for Forging a New Conversion Policy” describes the resulting changes for the US arms industry, defense-dependent communities, members of the armed forces and... more
For the first time, BICC brief 8 “Conversion in Poland: The Defense Industry and Base Redevelopment” offers an analysis of experiences made both in industrial and regional conversion in Poland.The redevelopment process of former bases is markedly behind the restructuring of the arms industry. A... more
BICC brief 7 „The New Field of Micro-Disarmament: Addressing the Proliferation and Buildup of Small Arms and Light Weapons” provides an overview of the various components of the issue, including its history and evolution, the types of small arms and light weapons of concern, the various types of... more
BICC brief 6 “Cost of Disarmament” gives an overview of the economic costs of the dismantlement of weapons and the disposal of military surplus. more
BICC brief 5 “Eurofighter 2000: Consequences and Alternatives” deals with the development and procurement of fighter jets type Eurofighter 2000 representing the largest current arms project in Western Europe. The current restructuring of the aviation industry worldwide has raised some doubt about... more
BICC brief 3 “Coping with Surplus Weapons: A Priority for Conversion Research and Policy.” Many weapons are decommissioned due to disarmament agreements such as the START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) and the CFE (Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe), the end of violent conflict,... more
BICC brief 4 “Demobilization in the Horn of Africa” is about a workshop on Demobilization and Reintegration in the Horn of Africa was organized by the International Resource Group on Disarmament and Security in the Horn of Africa (IRG), in cooperation with the Ad Hoc Committee for Peace and... more
BICC brief 2 “Abhängigkeit der Werften im Ostseeraum von der Rüstungsproduktion“ ("Dependency of the Ship Industry around the Baltic Sea on Naval Ship Building") attempts to analyze the trends in the European ship-building industry during the period 1990-1993. Although the post-Cold War... more
BICC brief 1 “Conversion of the Post-Soviet Defense Industry: Implications for Russian Economic Development” analyses the problems of Russian defense industry conversion which are also prevalent in civilian industry restructuring. more
